Nick Moran is recalling the risks he was warned about in his life-threatening diagnosis
The 55-year-old actor, who previously played the head snatcher Scabior in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows films, recently underwent emergency spinal surgery.
His rep told Daily Mail that the actor learned about the damage to his spinal cord after experiencing pain in his neck for some time.
"Nick had urgent spinal surgery over a week ago, which carries the usual risks of such procedures," the rep said. "All went well. He is now back home on his way to a full recovery after a short stay in the hospital."
Moran's friend and podcaster Terry Stone told the publication that the actor ignored the discomfort till his girlfriend insisted that he see a doctor.
When examined, the actor was told he needed an "emergency operation because this is life-threatening."
"I spoke to one of his family members and he damaged his neck somehow, and it's affecting his spinal cord and some of the things that operate your speech and your legs," the host of The Criminal Connection podcast further told the publication.
The Harry Potter alum was also warned that he risked losing the ability to walk or even talk if he avoided surgery.
"He's recovering, but [doctors] basically said [ahead of the surgery] that he might never walk or talk again, which was traumatic," Stone said. "He's not in the best of health, but when he came out of the operation I was like 'thank god' because I think he'd decided he'd rather not walk or talk than die."
The procedure involved an incision in the actor's spine and the removal of four bones from his neck, which were replaced by artificial bone.
The rep assured that Moran is now recovering, calling it a "good sign" that he's speaking again.
"But he's shuffling around like a 100-year-old and has a neck brace on and taking it easy," he added.